Undocumented students face considerable stressors due to their precarious legal status, economic disadvantages and social exclusion. Building on a growing body of literature that has examined the mental health and psychological wellbeing of undocumented students, we disentangle the effects of multiple dimensions of legal vulnerability. Specifically, we examine whether multiple dimensions of legal vulnerability are associated with increased emotional distress and whether social support moderates this relationship. Using a survey of 1,277 undocumented college students in California, we conducted hierarchical regression analyses to determine the unique and combined effects of legal vulnerability and social support on anxiety and depression. We find that legal vulnerabilities, including discrimination, social exclusion, threat of deportation, and financial insecurity, and social support have direct effects on depression and anxiety symptomology. The moderating effects of social support are only partially supported. Our results demonstrate the move beyond the study of immigration status to examine the effects of legal vulnerabilities on mental health.
Prior research has established that undocumented immigrant experiences are dynamic, reflecting the complex web of immigration-related policies that create legal vulnerability. As such, undocumented college students' experiences must be situated in their current policy context. Drawing on descriptive analyses of a survey of 1,277 undocumented 4-year college students in California, we examine how undocumented students are faring in a relatively inclusive policy context. Results demonstrate the heterogeneity of undocumented student experiences and unpack the challenges they confront while also demonstrating the ways they thrive. We document how respondents are performing across a variety of academic, well-being, and civic and political engagement outcomes. We also show that undocumented students' perceptions of legal vulnerability are complex and varied, taking into account family-level legal vulnerability and individual protections. Further, students perceive campuses as fairly welcoming spaces, with some differences arising across the two university systems. Ultimately, we argue that undocumented college students' experiences merit more nuanced and contextualized analysis.
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